Core Summary

  • GitLab announced on Tuesday that it has appointed former Salesforce executive Jessica Ross as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective January 15.
  • Ross will succeed James Shen, who has served as interim CFO since September, and Shen will return to his role as Vice President of Finance.
  • GitLab CEO Bill Staples said Ross brings extensive experience at public companies and has demonstrated outstanding financial, strategic, and operational leadership at several well-known technology firms.

In-Depth Analysis

GitLab announced the personnel change while reporting its fiscal 2026 third-quarter earnings for the period ending October 31. The company posted total revenue of $244.4 million for the quarter, up 25% year over year.

The CFO appointment is the latest in a series of executive changes at GitLab under Staples, who became CEO about a year ago.

In early September, the company announced the appointments of Manu Narayan as Chief Information Officer and Manav Khurana as Chief Product and Marketing Officer. Later that month, Shen was named interim finance chief after Brian Robins resigned as CFO and Chief Accounting Officer. Robins left to take the top finance role at software company Snowflake.

According to securities filings, Ross, 49, will receive an initial annual salary of $505,000 in her new role, along with a $150,000 signing cash bonus.

"I am honored to join GitLab at such an exciting time," Ross said in a press release on Tuesday. "Organizations around the world are looking for trusted partners to help them navigate the complexities of AI, security, and modern software delivery, and GitLab is well positioned to meet this growing demand."

According to the press release, Ross brings more than 25 years of experience in financial, accounting, and operational leadership at both public and private companies. Previously, she served as CFO of Frontdoor, a home repair services company. Before that, she spent three years at Salesforce in senior executive roles.

Earlier in her career, Ross held finance leadership positions at Stitch Fix, a personalized styling service; Kaiser Permanente, a healthcare and insurance provider; and Gymboree, a children's clothing retailer. Prior to that, she spent 12 years in public accounting at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte.